Convertible furniture

ABSTRACT

A PIECE OF FURNITURE COMPRISES A SUPPORT PORTION AND AN UPPER PORTION THAT INCLUDES A TABLE TOP AND A CUSHION ARRANGED BACK-TO-BACK, THE UPPER PORTION BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT PORTION SO THAT THE ARTICLE CAN BE CONVERTED FROM A TABLE TO A LEG REST AND VICE VERSA BY TURNING THE UPPER PORTION SO AS TO BRING THE TABLE TOP OR   CUSHION UPPERMOST AS REQUIRED. MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR LOCKING THE UPPER PORTION TO THE SUPPORT PORTION WHEN THE ARTICLE IS TO BE USED AS A TABLE.

June 6, 1972 E. J. FORD CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Filed Oct. 31, 1969 2Sheets-$11901; 1

June 6,1972 ORD' 3,667,803

CONVERTIBLE- FURNITURE Filed Oct. 31, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 no. 70. m9.no. 17..

United States Patent 3,667,803 CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE Edward J. Ford, 33Mulberry Crescent,

West Brayton, England Filed Oct. 31, 1969, Ser. No. 873,004 Claimspriority, application $72M Britain, Nov. 22, 1968,

8 Int. Cl. A47b 85/04; A47c 7/50, 27/00 US. Cl. 297-119 2 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to convertiblefurniture, the object of the invention being to provide an article offurniture which can be readily converted from a table to a leg rest orvice versa.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support portion,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support portion with an upperportion arranged thereon to form a table,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support portion with the upperportion arranged thereon to form a leg rest,

FIG. 4 is a view in section of part of the upper portion and part of aleg of the support portion, with the table top shown uppermost,

FIG. 5 shows part of a leg and a longitudinal member of the supportportion interconnected in a manner difierent from that shown in FIGS. 1to 3,

FIG. 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 shows part of a leg and of a longitudinal member of the supportportion interconnected in yet another manner,

FIG. 8 is a section on the line VIIIVIII of FIG. 7,

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are detail views illustrating means for locking theupper portion to the support portion when the table top is in use,

FIGS. 12 and 13 are detail views illustrating other means for lockingthe upper portion to the support portion when the table top is in use,and

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a modified form of upper portion.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the base or lower support portion is shown byway of example as made from tubular material. It comprises two invertedU-shaped end members, each of which is formed to provide a central partwhich when the support portion is in use constitutes a horizontal uppertransverse member 1, and two legs 2 that project downwardly from therespective ends of the transverse member 1, the legs 2 being providedwith feet 2'. The two legs 2 of each end member are interconnected by alower transverse member 3 which is below and parallel to the uppertransverse member 1, and the two end members are interconnected bylongitudinal members. In the case illustrated there are three parallellongitudinal members, namely two lower longitudinal members 4 thatinterconnect the legs of the two end members, and a third longitudinalmember 4 that interconnects the two lower transverse members 3.

Each of the upper transverse members 1 is formed, in the side that facesthe other upper transverse member 1,

with a hole 5 through which extends a respective one of two alignedprojections on the upper support portion. The upper support portioncomprises a flat table top 6 to the flat underside of which (referred tothe position of use of the table top) a cushion 7 is secured in anysuitable manner, for example by means of adhesive. As shown in FIG. 4, arod or tube 8 extends through the table top '6 and projects therefrom ateach end to form two aligned horizontal pivot pins 9, the pivot pins 9forming the abovementioned aligned projections. Each of the pivot pinsprojects into a respective hole 5 in an upper transverse member 1 in themanner illustrated in FIG. 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 the parts of the supportportion are permanently connected together, as by welding. They mayhowever be connected together in any other suitable manner, for exampleby rivets or bolts, as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, 8. FIGS. 5 and 6show an end of a longitudinal member 4 flattened to form a lug 10, whichhas a rivet hole, the lug 10 being inserted through an opening in a leg2 and being secured in place by a rivet 12. In FIGS. 7 and 8 an end of alongitudinal member 4 is arcuately shaped so as to fit partly around aleg 2, to which it is secured by means of a rivet 13. In both of thelast-described cases nuts and bolts may be used instead of the rivets 12and 13- re-l spectively, to enable the support portion to be dismantledand thereby facilitate storage and/or transport.

Means are provided for enabling the upper portion to be fixed relativeto the support portion when the article of furniture is to be used as atable. In FIGS. 1 to 3 each of the upper transverse members 1 is formedwith a hole therethrough, one such hole being visible at 14 in FIG. 1,for the reception of a headed locking pin 15 which can be insertedthrough the hole 14 and into a corresponding recess in the table top. Inanother arrangement, illustrated in FIG. 9 to 11, each of the uppertransverse members 1 is formed, in the side facing the other uppertransverse member, with a hole 16 through which projects a plunger 17which is urged towards the said other upper transverse member by acompression spring 18- which at the end remote from the plunger 17 abutsthe inside of the tubular upper member 1 and which surrounds a rod 19that projects through a hole 20 in the member 1. The rod 19 is connectedat one end to the plunger 17 and carries at its other end a head 21 thatserves as a finger piece and which carries a stop in the form of a pin22 that projects from the head 21 parallel to the rod 19. The hole 20 isof generally circular shape (FIG. 11) with a recess 23 that forms apassageway for the pin 22. When the article of furniture is in use as atable, the angular position of the head 21 is such that the pin 22projects through its passageway 23 and the plunger 17 projects into ahole or recess in the table top 6 (FIG. 9) so as to lock the table top 6in a horizontal position. When the article is to be converted to a legrest, the head 21 associated with each member 1 is pulled so as toretract the plunger 17 from the hole or recess in the table top, the pin22 being simultaneously withdrawn from its passageway 23. Each head 21is then turned so as to bring the pin 22 out of register with itspassageway 23, and is then released so that under the action of thespring 18 the pin 22 abuts the outside of the member 1 so as to hold theplunger 17 out of engagement with table top 6 (FIG. 10) The upperportion can then be turned over to bring the cushion 7 uppermost andthereby form a leg rest (FIG. 3), the upper portion then being capableof pivoting about the axis of the pivot pins 9 to a position that suitsthe user of the leg rest.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a modification of the looking meansillustrated in 'FIGS. 9 to 11. In this case the plunger 17 is carried byone end of a stem 24 the other end of which is slotted or flattened, anda rivet 25' extending across the slot or flat end serves as a pivot fora cam 25 provided with a lever 26. When the lever 26 is in the positionshown in FIG. 12 with its' free'end adjacent the member 1, the lowestpart of the cam 25 abuts the outside of the upper transverse member 1,and the plunger 17 can project into the corresponding recess in thetable top under the action of the springlS. When the lever 26 is movedto the position shown in FIG. 13 the highest part of the cam 25 iscaused to abut the outside of the member 1, and the plunger 17 isthereby retracted from the recess in the table top (FIG. 13). It will beunderstood that both of the upper transverse members 1 are provided withsuch locking means, and that when both levers 26 are in the positionshown in FIG. 13 the upper portion is released and can be turned over tobring the cushion 7 uppermost. 7

FIG. 14 shows a modification of the upper portion. Instead of the tabletop 6 having a flat underside as in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 to which thecushion 7 is secured, there is provided around the edge of the table topa rim 28 which in relation to the table top 6When in use as suchprojects downwardly to accommodate the cushion 7. In this case the rodor tube 8, the ends of which serve as pivot pins for the upper portionwhen the article of furniture is in use as a leg rest, may extendthrough the rim 28 and through the cushion 7 as shown. The cushion 7 maybe a firm fit in the rim 28 so as to be normally retainedtherein but tobe readily removable when desired, for example for cleaning, or it maybe positively fixed in the rim 28 in any suitable manner, as byadhesive. I

In a modification, instead of the pivot pins being constituted by theends of a rod or tub 8, individual pivot pins may be fixed in anysuitable manner to the respective ends of the upper portion.

On any of the above-described embodiments of the invention the table topmay be provided with a rim that projects away from the cushion 7 so asto form a tray when the table top is uppermost.

A tray 29 may be carried by the longitudinal members 4 of the supportportion as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, being provided if desired with springclips that engage releasably over these longitudinal members or throughholes in these members.

As is readily apparent from the above description, the upper supportportion when the cushion 7 is positioned uppermost is freely pivotalrelative to the base. This free pivotal movement is highly desirablesince it permits the cushion 7 to be freely angularly displaced toaccommodate the users legs in the most comfortable position of rest orsupport. Further, as disclosed in FIGS. l-3, all of the longitudinalconnecting members 4 are disposed substan-' tially below the cushion 7when the latter is uppermost, whereby the cushion can freely angularlymove to 'accommodate the users legs, without the users legs coming intocontact with the longitudinal connecting members.

What is claimed is: 1. A convertible piece of furniture for useselectively as a table or a leg rest, the improvement comprising:

rigid base means including two end members rigidly interconnected solelyby spacing means extending therebetween; support means mounted on saidbase means and located between said end members, said support meansincluding a table top and a cushion arranged in backto-backrelationship; pivot means rotatably connecting said support means tosaid end members whereby said support means is capable of rotationrelative to said base means about a substantially horizontal pivot axis"to bring said table top or said cushion selectively uppermost to formrespectively a table or a leg rest, said pivot means permitting freerotation of said support means relative to said base means when saidcushion is uppermost so that, when the piece of furniture is used as aleg rest, said supportmean's is capable of freely angularly turningabout said pivot axis to accommodate itself to themuself of .the legrest; and said spacing means being positioned at an elevationsubstantially below said pivot axis and out of the path of rotation ofsaid support means, so thatwhen the cushion is uppermost the spacingmeans do not interfere with the free turning of the cushion or with thelegs of the user disposedin engagement with the cushion irrespective ofthe angular relationship of the cushion relative to the base means; and7 locking means coacting between said base means and said support meansfor rigidlylocking said' support means against rotation relatively tosaid base means only when said tabletop is uppermost, said locking meansincluding a'locking member movable between a locked position where itfixably interconnects said base means and said support means when saidtable top is uppermost and a released position wherein said supportmeans is freely rotatable relative to said base means, and means forholding said locking member in said released position when said cushionis uppermost for permitting free rotation of saidsupport means. 2. Aconvertible piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein said endmembers comprise substantially parallel inverted U-shaped members, eachof said U- shaped members having a substantially horizontal supportportion and a pair of substantially vertical leg portions extendingdownwardly from opposite ends of said horizontal support portion, saidpivot means being connected between said support means and thehorizontal support portions of said end members for permitting freerotation of said support means in the space between said end members;

a said spacing means including a pluralityv of elongated parallelconnecting members extending between and fixedly connected to saidvertical leg portions, all of said connecting members being disposedatan elevation below said support meansand spaced from the rotational paththereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS

